The Japanese electronics company Sony caught the attention of attendants to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by launching its own electric vehicle, the Vision-S. This EV, which sits between a prototype and a concept car, not only surprised the electronics industry but also shocked the automakers around the world. Sony President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company launched this EV in collaboration with various partners to showcase its technological prowess.
The company has no plans to mass-produce Vision-S. It means that you cannot buy the Sony car yet, not any time soon, at least. What the company wanted to achieve was the showcasing of the ideas it had for the world of cars.
Sony launched the car with the announcement that it wanted to contribute to the development of safe, reliable, and comfortable mobility experience. We want to point out that Sony is not a total stranger to the automotive industry. It is already a major supplier of CMOS sensors to the world leader Toyota. This is the first time, however, that the electronics giant has ventured into building a car.
Main Features of Sony EV
Sony has showcased a long list of ideas in Vision-S. The car takes entertainment experience and user interface to a level beyond imagination. The following are some of the most touted features of this EV.
1-Display and Entertainment
Sony’s concept car has a set of rectangular displays with touchscreens that stretch from pillar to pillar. The driver and passengers can access the media control of the vehicle through these touchscreen displays. They can play Sony-licensed music and movies along with those from other sources. The company has not neglected the gamers and has added a separate tab for the games. Various vehicle settings are also accessible through these touchscreens. Sony used intelligent animations and a user interface that provides multiple modes of interaction.
A separate trackpad features multitouch access to the menus. Sony has not left out the rear seat passengers from this spectacular riding experience. People in the rear can interact through their separate touchscreen displays installed at the back of the front seats. The company has equipped each headrest with high-quality sound system, enabling passengers to watch different things at the same time.
2-Climate Control
The trackpad that extends from the console offers climate control features, including an adjustable cabin temperature and AI climate control system, which automatically adjusts the climate around a seat when its occupant is detected sleeping. The AI can be overridden by preferences set by the users.
3-Security Features
Vision-S has 33 automotive sensors that include the company’s CMOS image sensor. Apart from 10 CMOS image sensors, the vehicle has other sensors like LIDARs, radars, and ultrasonics. It is capable of detecting people and objects inside as well as outside.
Sony has equipped the Vision-S with advanced cruise control features along with auto lane change functions. It uses level two plus autonomy in the vehicle but intends to achieve level four or higher self-driving freedom through software upgrades in the future. Vision-S supports 5G connectivity, which allows the driver to summon the parked car by tapping on a mobile application.
4-Battery Power and Mileage
Yuhei Yabe, the General Manager of Sony Corporation’s AI and Robotics Business Group, said that as they learned more about the vehicle’s architecture, they saw a whole world of possibilities where Sony’s technologies could be applied.
They partnered with automotive manufacturer Magna for the engineering aspect, resulting in a vehicle that could go from 0-97 km/h in just 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 240 km/hr. The company has said nothing about how much the battery will last, but the graphics in the vehicle shows that the Vision-S can go 445 kilometres with 82% battery.
Eye-opening Vision-S
The launch of Vision-S is an eye-opener for auto manufacturers around the world. If the company begins mass production of the vehicle, it will heighten the competition for old and new auto players in the industry. The company has not disclosed the consumer price of this EV yet. But from what we’ve seen so far, we can say that Sony knows how to produce and sell high-end consumer products and attract huge market support. For more tech updates like this, tune in to Carpart.com.au, as we bring the latest news from the automotive and car parts industry.